there's a chance that a compromise will be reached, less than 48 hours before tax rates revert to their clinton dasher are levels and board across the board spending cuts talk effect. when the president took to the podium friday afternoon to urge the law enforcements to get their act together with he didn't exactly project confidence. >> this is deja vu all over again. america wonders why it is that in this town for some reason, you can't get stuff done in an organized timetable. why everything always has to wait until the last minute. we're now at the last minute. and the american people are not going to have any patience for a politically self-inflicted wound to our economy. >> this may be why the president also said that if senate leaders can't produce a deal he'll demand a straight up or down vote by the senate on his proposal from a week ago to extend the current rates on income below $250,000 along with unemployment insurance benefits. >> if members of the house or the senate want to vote "no" they can. but we should let everybody vote. that's the way this is supposed to work. if you can